Hi all. I am looking for suggestions on a few things before taking our first catamaran trip. Which company or broker would you recommend for newbies like us. 2 adults 45 yrs and 2 kids 9 & 13? ive noticed that there are companies which operates their own fleet and uses different crew and other boats crewed by their owners. Which one is more reliable? Another question that I have is where will you recommend to start and end the trip. St Thomas, Tortola? The places I certainly want to go visit is Anegada, JVD, Petr Island, The baths. We have a budget between 9 & $10,000. i appreciate all your input.

Thanks
J. galan

There are a few that are sponsors here...they're listed in the TTOL sponsor area. Never used one myself, but people here swear by them.

You can't go wrong with 2 of the sponsors right here that are well within your budget:
www.yachtcatatonic.com
and
www.sailingbluemoon.com

I second both of the above recommendations - both are great boats with fun crew!!

We sailed with Alternate Latitude last April and had a GREAT time. We did the "captain only" option, but his lovely wife Deb was along and was telling us about the meals she prepares on a fully crewed charter and it sounded amazing. They have a facebook page as well as a website.

Check out Mike and Rebecca on "One Love".

http://www.onelovecat.com

We met Mike & Rebecca at CGB once and enjoyed dinner and the Elmtones with them. Fun couple and good hosts. Derek on http://www.sailbellavita.com/ is another option. I believe he also brokers for other boats, including Mike & Rebecca.

If you want someone to cook all meals for you and you like wakeboarding behind a larger dinghy with a larger motor, then crewed is the way to go. If, however, you want to eat out often and are willing to cook your own meals for the times you eat on the boat, then you are better off getting a bareboat with a captain to help sail it.